Fisherman's Friends

The Fisherman’s Friends bring the sound of Cornwall’s working harbours to Symphony Hall, Birmingham, on 4 September 2027. Formed in Port Isaac in 1995, this choir of fishermen, lifeboat crew and locals carries sea shanties and maritime tradition into the present, built on close, unaccompanied harmonies gradually joined by spare folk instrumentation. Their set leans into call-and-response work songs, forebitters and shore-side ballads, with basses and tenors locking in and leaving room for the easy, salty humour that threads through their repertoire.

From quay-side singing to major stages, the group has left a clear trail on record: early self-released albums led to Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends and One and All on Universal, followed by Proper Job and Sole Mates. Along the way they’ve appeared at Glastonbury and the Cambridge Folk Festival, and their story later fed into two feature films, paired with One and All: Music from the Movie. In Birmingham, it’s back to what they do best: voices up front, stories of the sea, and a communal sing that turns a concert hall into a harbour.